The Red Umbrella
by HannahBerrie
Summary: Two strangers, two umbrellas, one misshapen encounter. A short one-shot of Kristanna The Blue Umbrella.


Anna clutched to the slick handle with shaking hands and white knuckles, shivering violently as the wind pushed and pulled her in every direction. The weather report said they were supposed to receiving intense rain showers today, but she never expected it would be _this_ bad. Her scuffed-up red boots were filled with water, and they made a galling sloshing sound with every step she took.

She glanced up at the street signs, trying to remember which way was North, but the rain easily obscured her vision, turning her surroundings into a fast-paced, silvery-gray blur. As she trudged on, she couldn't help but scowl, especially when a taxi skidded past, drenching her in water yet_again_. It would have been a lot more helpful if Elsa had given her better directions – scratch that, it would have been helpful if she had given her any directions at all. But no, Elsa just had to flee off to of all places, New York City, leaving Anna no choice but to go after her.

Lighting illuminated the sky, followed by a low roll of thunder roll in the distance. The vibrations shook Anna to the core, making her teeth rattle. Despite her umbrella, which she was gripping onto so desperately, her dress was clinging to her skin, and her bangs were glued to her forehead. The red plastic glow of the umbrella, mingled with the millions upon millions of street lights, billboards, shop windows, and headlights highlighted her features and shone in her eyes, making it even harder to see.

Why did Elsa have to choose the _city_, of all places? If only she'd chosen somewhere _warmer_, and less wet. Like white, sandy beaches, or a rolling countryside. Anything but all the smog, smoke, sirens, streets, and spectacles. While Anna loved excitement and adventure, this was all too much for a girl who didn't know her left from her right, especially if said girl had been so extremely sheltered her whole life, and was only 18.

They were small-town girls from a close-knit family (emphasis on thewere), and this new place seemed like a whole other world in its own. But Anna was going to change this, she was going to find her sister, and make things right again. She had to keep going, she had to make sure Elsa was okay, that Elsa didn't really mean it when she said that she was never coming back, and that they still could fix their sisterhood that Anna cherished so deeply.

And so she trudged on, the wind beating against her umbrella, the seemingly endless amount of people jostling, pushing, and shoving her along, the neon lights blinding her vision, the car horns blaring in her ears, the rain whipping against her face, the sidewalk slick and threatening to make her slip at any moment.

Things couldn't get much worse, and yet - they did.

As she stepped over an uneven square in the sidewalk, she succumed to the inevitable, and tripped. Thankfully, she managed to catch herself on a nearby trashcan, but her fingers loosened, and relished hold on her umbrella.

Before she even had a chance to cry out in protest, Anna's umbrella whipped out of her hands, doing a furious, violent dance in the wind, knocking into buildings, street lights, telephone poles, awnings, and windows; before it quickly came whirring down, landing right-

In someone's face.

With a sickenly loud _SMACK_ - the umbrella hit the man right between his eyes, sending him reeling, stumbling, and finally falling back into a grimy puddle.

"Oh my god!" Anna shrieked, running over to the injured individual. "I'm so, so, sorry! That was a complete accident!"

The stranger only groaned in response, rubbing his head in pain.

Anna knelt down in front of him, her braids whipping in the wind and smacking rainwater in her eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked, cautiously reaching out to take ahold of her umbrella, which was now ripped and crumpled to a worthless heap. She examined the man's face for any signs of blood or serious injury, but luckily there didn't seem to be any

That didn't stop him from being upset, though.

"What's wrong with you?" The stranger suddenly snapped, glaring up at her.

Anna only blinked at him dumbly, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. The stranger was sprawled on on the street in front of her, his own umbrella crinkled into a blue mass. He glared at her out of chocolate-brown eyes, adorned with a few tiny flecks of gold. His hair was messy, wet, and a dirty mop of blonde, and slicked wet with rain. There was a hint of a five o'clock shadow across his jaw, and his lips, curved in a scowl, were chapped from the cold.

He was kind of cute - even if he did look so annoyed at the moment. Not that Anna was going to allow herself to dwell on it for too long.

"Hello?" He snapped.

Anna straightened up, trying to regain her composure. "Oh, uh yes, I was just - I'm sorry, okay? I-it was an accident, really!" She tried to come up with some better excuse, some better way to explain herself, but she found that she just couldn't do it. Her voice caught in her throat, and suddenly the burden of the search and the wet and the cold and being lost and feeling alone all came crashing down on her all at once, causing her to shake. Her eyes teared up and stung painfully, and all Anna hoped was that the rain was obscuring this moment of weakness.

She wasn't going to cry. She wouldn't allow herself to. She could do this, she knew she could. She was strong, resilient, and she was going to find her sister, no matter how difficult it was.

But despite her strong face, the stranger seemed to notice her crestfallen spirit, and his scowl slowly melted away. He sat up and sighed, resting his face in his hands. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Anna eyed him, feeling her cheeks grow hot with shame. "Is it that obvious?" It couldn't be - after all, she couldn't be the only girl in New York City who'd accidentally launched a umbrella in a guy's face…right?

"Yes," he said, chuckling dryly. "If you were you wouldn't have apologized."

Oh.

Anna felt an odd sort of pride swell in her chest, even though she wasn't entirely sure if that was a compliment or not. Either way, she decided to take it as one. "Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile.

He nodded, and the pair both stood up, clutching onto their battered umbrellas. Anna's was torn to shreds, so she had to settle for holding it in her hands and allowing her hair to get even more wet than it already was. Thankfully, the wind had died down by now, but the rain was still pattering down rhythmically, getting in her eyes and hitting her cheeks.

The stranger lifted his arms to the side as he scanned himself, his navy raincoat covered in mud. "Great," he muttered, examining his sopping boots and soaked traveling bag.

Anna winced over her shoulder at him. "I-I'm sorry!" She shivered, surprised at how much colder she was without her umbrella. She walked back over to him slowly, trying to look as strong and capable as a desperate person could look. "I can pay for a new coat, really - but I was just wondering if you knew how to get to the North side of town? I'm looking for my sister but I'm completely-"

But in typical Anna-fashion, she never got to finish her sentence, as right as she was about to approach him, she slipped in a giant puddle, causing her to flail forward and knock both him and herself back onto the sidewalk.

Anna felt her body flood with embarrassment as she landed square on his chest, sprawled out against his body. She heard him let out a small gasp of shock and something that sounded like a wheeze, but he brought out his hands to steady her, resting on her waist.

Other people scowled and called them out for blocking off part of the path, but Anna didn't really hear them. All she could focus on was how close their faces were, how feverishly their foggy breaths were bouncing off the other's face, how terrified they both looked, and how he was probably going to hate her for this.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, staring down into his eyes. "I'm a r-really, really big klutz."

The stranger blinked up at her, a small sort of smile curving his lips. "It's okay, I guess." Taking a hold of her hands, he lifted her and himself off the sidewalk, his cheeks tinged pink. "And don't worry - it's just a coat."

Anna smiled gently at him, suddenly feeling all tingly inside - though she wasn't sure it was from the cold.

"Were you saying something?" He asked, slowly pulling his hands away.

Anna blinked at him, feeling dazed. Had she? She wasn't sure. All she could remember was how nice his hands were, they weren't too rough, but they weren't too soft either. And how strong his arms looked, and those eyes…

Focus. She needed to focus. Elsa. In New York. Saving her.

"Oh yes!" She exclaimed, coming back to earth. "Uh, it was nothing really…I just wanted to ask if…you could help me? I-I don't know how to navigate this place, and I need to get uptown." She bit her lip, wringing her hands and looking up at him hopefully. "Please?"

The stranger sighed, eying her warily. A long pause followed her request, filled only by the white noise of city traffic, walking passerby, and falling rain. He looked hesitant, extremely hesitant, actually. Anna didn't expect him to say yes, in fact she was almost counting that he wouldn't. After all, they didn't even know each other; either of them could be completely insane for all they knew, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was growing desperate at this point, she would have second-guessed herself too. Because even though she hated to admit it, there was no denying: Anna needed help.

She pulled out the card that had always worked on her parents: sticking out her lower lip, batting her eyelashes, and clasping her hands together. "Pretty please?"

"Fine!" He finally huffed, giving in to her tiny pout and big eyes. "I'll help you."

"Oh thank you, thank you, _thank you!_" Anna squealed, throwing her arms around him in a hug unabashedly and jumping in place.

The man chuckled a little, gently prying her off of him. "Don't mention it."

Anna beamed at him, unable to hide her giddiness. "Oh, I'm Anna!" She added, suddenly realizing she hadn't even introduced herself. She held out her hand to him, offering him an encouraging smile.

"Kristoff," he replied, giving her hand a brief shake.

Anna blushed, suddenly feeling very flustered. "So, uh, let's do this!"

A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he opened his umbrella and sheltered them under it. "Follow my lead." Holding her by the hand, he began guiding her down the street, occasionally calling out for her to watch out for a oncoming taxi or a uneven slab of pavement.

Even though Anna barely knew him, she trusted him. She could already tell he was someone she wouldn't mind spending more time with. Maybe he wouldn't mind either. After all, her hand _did _fit quite nicely in his, and they easily struck up a casual chatter as they moved along. It just felt _right._

But she was getting ahead of herself. Right now, she had a mission to accomplish, and this man, as gruff albeit charming he may be, was simply helping her along. In the least, there was a small chance they could become friends.

Nevertheless, Anna smiled hopefully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. As they wandered the evening streets, the rain pitter-pattered down slowly, bouncing off the pavement with a melodious rhythm. The lights twinkled down from the buildings around them, and under this blue umbrella, holding Kristoff's hand, Anna couldn't help but feel safe.


End file.
